Sweet cherry (Prunus avium) is a perishable fruit, and during
storage it can undergo postharvest decay. This is mainly caused
by Monilinia spp. and Botrytis cinerea, and occasionally by Rhizopus
stolonifer, Alternaria alternata, Penicillium expansum, and
Cladosporium spp. (Romanazzi et al., 2001). At present, preharvest
treatments with synthetic fungicides are the main means
for postharvest disease control in stone fruit in general. However,
alternatives to the use of synthetic fungicides are needed for
the sweet cherry market, where no fungicides are registered for
postharvest applications and none are allowed in organic agriculture.
Compared to synthetic fungicides, alternative methods might
also have the benefits of lower risk of the development of fungal
resistance, lower cost, and application close to the harvest. Moreover,
they have the potential to reduce the impact of agriculture on
the environment and on human health (Elmer and Reglinski, 2006;
Mari et al., 2010).